African Women's Roles

Term Paper # 100677

Gender and Sexuality > Gender Studies
History > African
Women Studies

An exploration of the impact of Islam and European culture on the roles of African women.

3,975 words () | 9 sources | MLA | 2008 United States

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses the historical roles of African women within African culture. The paper specifically looks at how these roles have changed over time and analyzes the impact of Islam and European culture on the roles of African women. The paper shows how the presence of the Arabs and Europeans in Africa changed the course of African women's lives forever.

From the Paper:

"As the impact of the Islamic influence on women spread throughout Africa, the Europeans began to infiltrate the country, adding their own perceptions of the female gender to the national philosophy. Yet, the Europeans believed that because African women were no more than slaves, they had the right to inflict any action against them that they desired. This often included rape and the forced captivity of African women as concubines. While these events occurred in a widespread manner throughout Africa, no effort was made by African men to stop the degredation of African women. Furthermore, over time it became apparent that African men had adopted the ideologies of the Europeans and allowed African women to become the least respected individuals within the social order."

Sample of Sources Used:

Ba, Miriama. So Long a Letter. New York: Heinemann, 1989.
Bailey, Anne. African Voices of the Atlantic Slave Trade. Boston: Beacon Press, 2005.
El Saadawi, Nawal. Woman at Point Zero. New York: Zed Books, 1997.
Guyer, Jane. Family and Farm in Southern Cameroon. Boston: Boston University, 1994.
Masonen, Pekka. "Trans-Saharan Trade and the West African Discovery of the Mediterranean World", in Vikor Sabour, Ethnic Encounter and Culture Exchange. London: Bergen, 1997.